1. Chapter 7, Section 1
The Renaissance Begins

2. The Italian Renaissance
Renaissance means “rebirth”
Period from A.D
Europeans rediscovered Roman and Greek art, literature, and architecture
People became more secular, meaning more interested in this world than the next
Centered in Florence, Italy

3. Italian Renaissance cont.
Italy was surrounded by the ruins of the Roman civilization
Many Italian cities had become extremely wealthy
Italy’s population was centered in the cities, rather than the countryside
They shared ideas about art, literature, ideas, etc.

4. Rise of Italy’s City-States
Italy was unable to consolidate into one large country
The Roman Catholic Church worked to stop the rise of a powerful kingdom
City-states developed and became very wealthy
They had enough money to hire soldiers, fleets of ships, and even lend to kings

5. Italy’s City-States Grow in Wealth
Most of the city-states had port cities
They grew very wealthy through trade
The materials and goods imported from around the world attracted artisans
The Crusades and the Mongol empire helped to create a large trade network throughout Europe
As wealth grew, demand for the luxury items produced by Italian artisans and they grew wealthy

6. Marco Polo
Marco Polo, a merchant from Venice, traveled to China and wrote of his experiences
His book became a best seller and increased the interest in China and encouraged people to buy Chinese goods

7. The Wealth of Florence
Florence was the first city-state to grow wealthy, originally from selling wool from England
Florence grew even more wealthy after they turned to banking
Bankers in Florence were experts in the value of coins, and they lent money and charged interest
The most successful of bankers were the Medici family, who had branch banks as far away as London

8. Venice Venice was another wealthy city
They were known for their sailing and shipbuilding
Built on swampy islands, Venetians used long wooden poles into mud to support their buildings
They used canals, rather than roads, to make their way around the city

10. Urban Noble Merchants grew in power
Money from trade became more acceptable
Wealthy land nobles married into wealthy merchant families

11. How Were Italian City-States Run
At first, most city-states were republics
After times of war, many city states gave power to one man
In Venice, the man was known as the duke, or doge
In Florence, the Medici family gained control
Italians developed diplomacy, or negotiating with other countries

12. Cont. Nicollò Machiavelli- wrote The Prince
In The Prince, Machiavelli claimed that people were self-centered and greedy. He argued that a ruler was justified in lying, or even killing, to maintain power.